Unexpected
by Alyssa86InMN
Summary: Life is full of unexpected twists and turns, so while Rick and Kate attend Ryan's wedding, their paths meet at a crossroads that will force them to decide on taking the same journey or going their separate ways.
1. Chapter 1

**I started this fic in early November and have been working on it since then. This is one of my first fics that kind of has a plot, but that doesn't mean it isn't fluffy like my usual stuff. I have finished this fic, so I'll do frequent updates until it is all posted.**

Wrapping her arm around his, the pair strode down the ivory-color carpeted aisle. Kate's heels, several inches tall, almost allowed her to meet him eye-to-eye. Castle subtly tugged her to a pew on the right side of the church and she willingly followed. They took their seats, thigh-to-thigh, barely a whisper between them. Kate smiled shyly, a warmth flowing throughout her as she looked over the program she was handed. Being in such a close proximity to the man who filled her dreams almost every night made it difficult to focus on the words written on the heavy lavender card stock. His natural earthy scent wafted around her and her heart rate picked up speed. What was it about weddings that made her usually controlled thoughts float off to the "what-ifs" and "why-nots" about her partner, the man she was undeniably in love with?

Ryan was ready and waiting for the wedding party to stroll down the aisle, nervously fidgeting in anticipation. As everyone settled in their seats, Pachelbel's Canon in D Major flowed through the church and the bridesmaids and groomsmen made their way to the altar. When Jenny and her father appeared at the entrance, all of the guests stood to watch her walk toward her future.

Sitting back in the pew, Kate and Castle returned to their initial seating arrangement. Castle placed his hand on his knee, barely brushing his pinkie finger against Kate's exposed thigh. The feather-like touch, almost imperceptible, sent electricity throughout Kate's core. Feeling unusually brave, she placed her hand on her leg and quietly, not even looking away from the ceremony, hooked her little finger around his. Kate caught the subtle gasp Castle made, but continued to pretend like she wasn't slowly encompassing the rest of his hand with hers. Seconds later, they laced their fingers together, feeling the heat from the other's palm. Neither of them took their eyes off Ryan and Jenny, but serene smiles graced both of their lips.

Fifteen minutes later Kate and Castle followed the bride and groom out of the chapel with the other guests, still holding hands. Castle pulled Kate toward the back of the crowd, trying to draw less attention to the two of them. Kate, expecting to follow everyone to the nearby reception hall, was taken by surprise when Castle suddenly yanked her into a small, private alcove off the hallway.

"Castle, what…"

Castle drew her to him quickly, grasping the back of her neck with the large, firm hand that wasn't currently entwined with her hand. Kate's eyes were wide with shock, but the gold flecks around the pupil seemed to sparkle like Midas himself had touched them. Castle leaned in and covered her rose-colored lips with his. Kate didn't respond until he slipped his tongue out and circled her lips, only then allowing him access to her mouth. Kate dropped Castle's hand and brought both arms around his neck trying to get impossibly closer. Together their tongues danced in unison, tasting remnants of that morning's coffee on her and his peppermint toothpaste. She cupped the back of his head, her arousal enhancing the feel of his short, silky hair between her fingers. She was tingly and warm; she couldn't get enough of this man. Distancing themselves to catch their breath, their chests heaving against each other, Kate and Castle gazed at one another, their pupils blown with lust.

"What just happened?" Kate asked.

"I think we just made out in a church." Castle responded with a smug smirk.

"Why?"

"Well if the bride and groom can do it, why can't we?"

Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Kate looked around nervously, disengaging herself from Castle's grip. "We should catch up with everyone else at the reception."

"Or we could go make out some more under the bleachers." Castle brought his hand to her face and stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"Castle, people are expecting us." She let out an unexpected sigh as her eyes instinctively closed. She was enjoying this too much. "Rick! We can't do this here." She jumped back, removing herself from his enticing hold then bolted in the direction of the other guests.

Castle sighed. They were toeing the line between friendship and something more. He was afraid to step over the boundary because of her self-erected walls around her heart keeping her from giving herself fully to someone. Gloomily, Castle followed after Kate, trying to figure out how to get through the reception knowing he just screwed up one of the best things that ever came into his life.

* * *

Stepping into the reception hall, everyone had already situated themselves at their respective tables. Castle scanned the open room hoping to find Kate, finally homing in on her as if she were a solar eclipse he knew he shouldn't be looking at but the temptation was too great. Kate sat at what Castle figured was the "singles table." He knew she was purposely distancing herself from him because she willingly gave up the seats beside her so he couldn't be near her. Weaving his way through the groupings of tables, he kept his eyes fixed on her. As far as he was concerned, Kate Beckett was the only woman in the universe, the only one who unknowingly had his heart. Kate had her elbows atop the white tablecloth with her hands steepled, the tips of her index fingers resting on her lips, as she scrutinized her surroundings.

Coming up behind her, Castle put one hand on the back of her chair and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Kate, can I talk to you?"

Kate startled at the sound of his voice and turned her head to the side staring blearily at the floor as she said, "I don't think that would be a good idea. You need to get seated anyway."

As if on cue, loud music boomed over the speakers announcing the arrival of the wedding party. Castle huffed in frustration and pulled out a chair a couple of seats away from Kate. She had turned toward the front of the room to watch Jenny and Ryan in their joy of finally being married. She smiled vacantly, happy for her friends, but feeling torn apart because of her complicated feelings for her partner.

While the catering staff began to serve everyone's dinner, the man next to Kate decided to engage her in conversation.

"How do you know the couple?"

"I work with Kevin. We are both detectives. What about you?"

"I went to high school with Kevin. We were both on the basketball team." The man held out his hand to Kate, "I'm Huck, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Kate." Kate shook his hand. "Huck is an interesting name. Is it short for anything?"

"My given name is Richard after my dad, but my mom liked calling me Huck as a kid so it stuck."

Kate's polite smile faltered slightly, but Huck didn't pick up the change in her eyes at the mention of another Richard. "I know I just met you, but I think Huck suits you."

Castle watched from across the table, his eyes flickering with jealousy. He tried to appear like it wasn't affecting him, but Kate knew, she could feel the longing looks he cast her way.

While Kate and Huck engaged in conversation throughout the meal, she would gingerly glance across the table at Castle. Their eyes met once and Kate saw the pain and heartache etched into his irises. She couldn't face to see him like that again, so she fought herself from looking once more.

As the caterers cleared the dishes the DJ started to play "That's Amore" by Dean Martin and Huck asked Kate if she would like to dance with him.

Kate stuttered a bit, unable t resist looking over at Castle again whose eyes were big, almost terrified looking. "Uh, I'd love to." Kate offered her hand to him as he led her to dance floor.

"What is a beautiful woman like you sitting at the single's table?" Huck asked when he took her in his arms as they swayed.

"Just waiting for the right one, I guess." Kate said, chuckling nervously while quickly darting her eyes to their table where Castle still sat.

"What is your relationship with the guy who sits at our table? I couldn't help but noticing he couldn't keep his eyes off of you, not that I can blame him."

Kate looked away from Huck's eyes, unsure how to describe her relationship with Castle. "He's my partner."

"So there's nothing going on between you two?"

"Uh, no. Not…"

"Not what?"

"Not yet." Kate bit her lip at her admission.

"Oh so you want something between the two of you?"

Kate's eyes widened at what she had revealed. "Um…"

"May I cut in?" Castle's voice sounded next to Huck and Kate.

Huck knew he didn't have a chance, so he graciously gave up his dance with Kate. Kate couldn't meet Castle's eyes when he enveloped her in his arms.

"Rick, I can't do this." Kate pushed herself from him, gave him one last tear-filled look and bolted from the reception hall.

Castle scrubbed his hand over his face wondering if that had really just happened … again. Realizing he couldn't let Kate get away that easily, he raced after her.

"Kate!" he called, catching her before she left the hall completely. He pulled her aside against her will before she attempted to escape again. "Kate!" he shouted to get her to focus on him.

She stopped, trying to hide the tears rimming her eyes. "What Castle?" her voice caught in her throat.

"What happened earlier was not a mistake. I refuse to accept that as a mistake. That kiss was … everything, Kate. I know you may not be ready to hear this but I want more. I want more with you. Kate, I am crazy about you."

Kate paused, wiping away a stray tear before finally meeting his eyes. "Rick, I'm scared. I don't want to lose you. I don't want to push you away. You mean too much to me."

"You will never lose me. Trust me."

"You don't know that."

"But I do know that, Kate. Meeting you has been one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me and I refuse to give that up. If you aren't sure you can risk losing our relationship, know that I will always come back; I will always fight for you." Castle rambled frantically.

"Rick, you could do so much better than me. I don't deserve you."

Castle palmed her cheek and wiped away a falling tear. "Kate, you are the most extraordinary person I have ever met. The truth is I don't deserve you." Castle cupped both of her cheeks in his large hands and rested his forehead against hers as she wrapped her hands around his forearms.

Kate hesitantly met his eyes and began, "Rick…"

"Marry me." Castle whispered hastily.

Kate jerked away from his grasp and asked, "What?"

Castle's eyes grew in shock, realizing what he had blurted out. "I'm sorry; I'm a little worked up. I take it back. I'm sorry."

Kate paused, taking in a deep breath, "Did you mean it?"

"The proposal?" Kate nodded. "I want everything with you, Kate. You are my third time's a charm. I am certain of this. Why not dive right in and prove to ourselves that we aren't going to walk away from each other?"

Kate brought her fingers to her lips, meeting Castle's eyes in contemplation. "Rick…"

Castle started to pace quickly in front of her. "Forget I said anything. I'm sorry for putting all of this on you. I don't want to scare you away. I…"

"Yes." Kate broke through his nervous blather.

Castle stopped, his eyes wide, "What?"

"Yes. Let's get married. Let's do it right now."

"Beckett, please don't tease me. I know I am acting irrationally right now, but…"

Trying to assure him of her serious answer, Kate pulled him into a searing kiss, wrapping herself around him. Their hearts beat in sync, quick and fluttery. Breaking apart, she looked into his crystalline blue eyes and said, "Do you feel that? Because I feel it just like you. That is everything. You are everything."

"Are you serious, Kate?"

As another tear fell, Kate nodded confidently. "Let's do it. Let's really do this. Right now."

**Tumblr: MonaLyssa33  
Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This story is probably not even remotely plausible, but hey, let's suspend disbelief and have a little fun. I generally don't write angsty pieces because my whole life is angst, so I escape through happy endings in stories. I have 7 chapters plus an epilogue for the entire story, so the entire fic should be posted in its entirety by Saturday.**

Castle grabbed Kate's hand, tugging her toward the exit as they both took off running. Castle hailed a cab and they both jumped in the back. Kate turned to Castle before the cab left the curb, taking his hands in hers and smiling wide and full of love. Castle mirrored her before the cabbie asked where they were going. Not even breaking eye contact with her, Castle said, "Tiffany's." Kate's eyes grew.

"We need rings." Castle said.

Kate smiled. "Who is going to marry us? Don't we need a license?"

Castle pulled out his phone and got Mayor Weldon on the line. Kate listened as her future husband talked him into pulling some strings to expedite all necessary paperwork so the mayor could marry them within the hour.

"It pays to know people." Castle admitted after hanging up with the mayor, "Especially when you need to get married to the love of your life as soon as possible."

Kate grinned before drawing him into a passionate kiss. The cab slowed to a stop in front of Tiffany's, but Kate and Castle were too engrossed in each other to notice. The driver cleared his throat several times before the pair realized they were at their destination. Castle told Kate to stay with the cab because he wanted to surprise her. As Castle ran into the boutique, Kate fidgeted nervously in the backseat.

Castle approached a clerk and told him that he was looking for two simple platinum wedding bands in each of their sizes. As the clerk pulled out some possible rings, Castle noticed a beautiful diamond engagement ring that he desperately wanted to give to Kate.

"Can I see that Tiffany Harmony ring too?"

The clerk pulled out the ring Castle pointed out. "What carat size would you be looking for?"

"Um, I suppose one carat would be good, she isn't ostentatious and would probably appreciate a less showy ring."

About ten minutes later, Castle had the three rings and raced back out to the cab.

Instructing the cabbie to go to City Hall, Castle sat back while holding Kate's hand. "Are you going to show me the rings?" Kate asked.

"They aren't anything fancy, just two simple platinum bands. I want to get them engraved later on though." Rick avoided showing her the rings until they arrived.

When the cab pulled up to the curb, Castle paid and Kate grabbed his hand and they ran up the stairs of City Hall. When they reached the front door, Castle pulled Kate in for another heart-skipping kiss.

"We're really doing this?" Kate asked.

"Are you having any doubts?"

Kate met his gaze and gave him an eye-crinkling smile before saying, "Never."

Castle smiled back and led her into the building. They raced to the Mayor's office, not being able to wait a second more not being married to each other. Castle stopped Kate just outside the office and she eyed him with confusion. He pulled out the box holding the engagement ring and before she could say anything, he got down on one knee and took her hand.

"Katherine Houghton Beckett, you are the most extraordinary person I have ever met and I would be honored if you married me right now." Castle popped open the ring box and revealed the round cut diamond mounted in the platinum setting.

Kate smiled a watery smile, "Richard Edgar Alexander Rodgers Castle, yes I will marry you." She held her hand out so he could put the ring on her finger. She admired the ring before exclaiming, "Rick I wasn't expecting an engagement ring!"

Castle stood. "I love you, Kate and you deserve everything."

Kate grinned again, "I love you too, Rick."

The couple's lips met heated and hurriedly before pulling apart so Castle could knock on the Mayor's door.

"Hey Bob. I really appreciate you doing this for us and on such short notice." Castle said when they were told to enter.

"Are you sure you want to do this so quickly? You aren't going to regret this in the morning, are you?" Weldon asked, standing from his desk with the paperwork he prepared. His secretary and a county clerk, the intended witnesses, sat on a couch nearby.

Castle looked over to a smiling Kate and said, "When you find the one, waiting just seems unnecessary. It may seem like a hasty, last-minute decision, but I have never been surer of anything in my life." Castle and Kate met each other's eyes. "I love you, Kate."

"I love you too."

"Well, I suppose we can get this thing started as soon as you two finish up this paperwork." Weldon said, waving the forms in the air.

Kate and Castle completed everything necessary for them to be legally wed; all that was left was the ceremony.

"Let's get started, then." Weldon said as Kate and Castle took each other's hands and gazed lovingly at each other with smiles that reached their eyes. "Richard and Katherine, today you celebrate one of life's greatest moments and give recognition to the worth and beauty of love, as you join together in vows of marriage. Richard, do you take Katherine to be your wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only unto her?"  
Castle rubbed his thumb over the back of Kate's hand and said, "I do."  
"Katherine, do you take Richard to be your husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only unto him?"  
"I do."

"Richard, repeat after me, 'I, Richard Castle, take you, Katherine Beckett, to be my wife, and pledge my love to you forever.'"

Castle repeated the mayor as he slid the thin platinum band on Kate's ring finger.  
"Katherine, repeat after me, 'I, Katherine Beckett, take you, Richard Castle, to be my husband, and pledge my love to you forever.'"

Kate repeated him as well, sliding a thicker platinum band on Rick's finger.  
"Richard and Katherine, now that the two of you have agreed to live together in matrimony and have promised your love for each other by these vows, by the authority vested in me by the State of New York I now declare you to be husband and wife. Congratulations, you may kiss your bride." Bob Weldon grinned.

Castle and Kate's faces beamed with joy as they both reached for the other to seal their union with a kiss. Kate's mouth opened for Castle as the kiss almost bordered on inappropriate for a government building. Breaking apart, their foreheads met as they each whispered their love for the other.

As the newly married couple left City Hall holding hands after signing the marriage certificate, Kate asked, "What do we do now?"

"I can think of one thing we could do." Castle said suggestively while waggling his eyebrows.

Kate bit her lip in an attempt to hide her smirk. "We'll get to that soon, but right now I think we need to figure out things, like where do we go? My place? Your place? Back to the reception?"

"I know we are doing this all backwards, but do you want to move in with me? It doesn't have to be right away, but I'm kind of hopelessly in love with you and I want to keep our time spent apart to a minimum."

Kate smiled joyfully. "I think we should tell our families we are married before I start moving my stuff. I don't want to upset Alexis, although I'm sure she won't be too happy that she wasn't included in this."

"We should invite them all out for dinner and tell them that way. We can do it tomorrow night if that works for you, but in the meantime I think we should head to your place so my mother and daughter don't get suspicious when we wake up together in the morning."

"Well aren't you optimistic. Waking up together? Who said we were doing that?" Kate teased, letting go of Castle's hand to walk down the steps of City Hall to the street below.

Castle quickly caught up to Kate and grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. Their gazes met. "I am not spending another night alone for the rest of my life starting tonight, so you, my love, are stuck with me forever."

Kate sighed. "That sounds…"

"Suffocating?"

"I was going to say perfect." Kate cradled his cheek with her hand as she smoothed her thumb over his lips. "I don't think you realize how much I love you. Because Rick, I am head-over-heels in love with you and I want to spend every possible moment I can with you by my side." She leaned into Castle and smudged her lips over his, their tongues melding and dancing together. When it became necessary, they pulled apart slightly, but continued to share the same air.

"Let's go back to your place." Castle said. "We'll figure everything out there."

**Tumblr: MonaLyssa33  
Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	3. Chapter 3

Lying in bed the next morning with Castle holding her tight to his chest, Kate sighed blissfully as it started to hit her that she and Castle were now a couple and married. She was not going to give up this relationship or the mind-blowing sex that came with it. She knew they would be amazing together, but she never expected the intense reality. After round four a couple of hours prior, Castle was exhausted, but Kate wanted him awake. She was insatiable when it came to him. Three years of denying that she had any feelings for him was difficult, but when their feelings were admitted, Kate's self-erected walls were obliterated to dust that was then blown away with the wind. There wasn't a possibility that those walls could be rebuilt and Kate had never been happier about that.

"Castle. Castle, can you hear me?" Kate whispered as she poked him in the chest while he continued to hold her.

He hummed an acknowledgement and hugged her tighter but didn't open his eyes.

"Rick, Babe. Wake up."

Castle's eyes popped open and he asked with incredulity, "Did you just call me 'Babe'?"

Kate grinned up at him. "Is that a problem? I just felt like it worked for you."

"No, not a problem at all. I kind of love it actually. But you know what my favorite thing for you to call me?"

"Sexy?" Castle shook his head. "Ruggedly handsome?"

"Your husband." Castle admitted. "I'm not sure I'll ever get used to being called your husband. At the risk of sounding cheesy, I would daydream about one day being able to call you mine, to express my love for you out loud, to kiss you whenever I want. Now that I can, it's almost surreal. I've loved you for such a long time and I started believing you would never feel the same."

"I've probably felt the same for about as long as you have; I just tried burying my feelings because I was scared." Kate confessed as she stroked his cheek. "I have to tell you something, Rick. Please don't get mad though." Kate could feel how Castle's body tensed around her. "First of all, know that I love you so much and I'm telling you this because I don't want any secrets between us now that we are married." Kate paused and took in a deep breath. "The day I was shot I heard you say you loved me. When you came and saw me in the hospital I lied when I said I didn't remember. I heard you and I remembered, but the reason I didn't tell you was because I was terrified and a complete mess. I wanted to be worthy of you so I started seeing a therapist to work on my issues. I'm not quite where I want to be, but I want you to help me get there, you and me together." Her breathing stuttered as tears fell down her cheeks. "I'm sorry for lying to you. I never wanted to hurt you; I only wanted to protect you from me."

Castle closed his eyes to compose his thoughts. Opening them again he saw the sorrow on Kate's face, which in turn softened his gaze. "How could you ever believe that you aren't worthy of everything? I've said it before and I meant it, you are extraordinary. I'm not angry that you didn't tell me, I'm sad that you aren't able to see yourself as I see you. To me you are remarkable, maddening, challenging, frustrating. You have lit my soul on fire and made me a better person just from being in your presence. Kate, you are worthy of so much, happiness, comfort, fulfillment, but most of all you deserve love."

Kate sniffled, wiping away a few stray tears. "I don't know what amazing thing I did to ever deserve someone as wonderful as you. I love you." She pressed her lips to his and the heat between them exploded into desire and then want until they both needed the other to survive.

* * *

Kate was grateful that she had the day after the weddings off. It was as close to a honeymoon as they were going to get for the time being. When she and Castle finally got out of bed around noon, they were both sated from sex and starving for food. The new couple called Alexis, Martha and Jim the night before to have their newly merging families meet for dinner at a pizzeria on Bleecker at six PM. At five o'clock, Kate started pestering Castle that they needed to leave soon. Kate was applying her makeup after finishing up her hair. She was trying to go for casual but nice. Castle stopped by his loft earlier in the afternoon to pick up a fresh set of clothes but both his daughter and mother were not home, so he left a note on the kitchen counter to remind them of dinner.

"I hear this place lets you carve your name on any available space you can find, which apparently is pretty limited." Castle said, entering the bathroom while buttoning his deep blue dress shirt.

Kate twisted around partially to look at him with her mascara wand in hand, "I know, Babe. Rebel Becks carved her initials and her high school flame's into the wall with the booths." She smirked and turned back to the mirror.

"I guess I'm going to have to find these initials and scratch out the competition." Castle pressed his chest into Kate's back and leaned down to nuzzle her neck.

Kate stopped her makeup application and stared at her husband through the mirror, "Or we could find our own place and add RC + KC."

"Or we could…wait…KC? Are you changing your name?" Castle was dumbfounded at the possibility.

"I'm thinking about it. Leaning more toward changing it than not." Having finished, Kate put her makeup away and faced Castle again, looping her arms around his neck. "I love you and we should head out in a couple of minutes." She gave him a quick peck on the lips before exiting the bathroom.

Wanting to get to the restaurant before their families, the couple called the car service to take them there. When they arrived at the pizzeria, they took a seat at a table since they were likely not able to fit all five of them in a booth.

"So are you going to show me this carving of your old flame's name?" Castle teased, leaning in close to nudge her with his head.

"I'm fairly certain I wouldn't be able to find it after this many years. It has probably been covered up by now."

The door to the restaurant opened and Kate and Rick recognized the familiar voices of Martha and Alexis. Castle signaled to the pair to get their attention.

"Hi, Dad. Hi, Detective Beckett." Alexis greeted, taking a seat across from them.

"Please Alexis, call me Kate." Kate said, reaching out and touching the young woman's forearm.

"So what's the occasion that you invited us down here for?" Martha asked.

"We are still waiting on one more person, and then we will tell you what is going on." Castle said.

As if on cue, Jim Beckett walked into the restaurant and spotted the group. "Hi Katie." Jim said, leaning over to kiss his daughter on the top of her head. "Hello Castle family."

"We called all three of you here because we have something to tell you." Rick said, taking a quick glance at Kate. "You will all probably think we are crazy for this, but Kate and I got married yesterday." The pair beamed at each other as their hands met on the table.

"What?" Alexis asked in shock. "Detective Ryan was supposed to get married yesterday though."

"And he did, but after the ceremony it just hit us that we didn't want to keep ourselves from that kind of happiness any longer. It was very spur of the moment, but Bob married us in his office." Rick explained.

"Were you two drunk? Are you pregnant?" Alexis questioned.

"Not drunk, drugged, hypnotized or pregnant, just in love." Rick glanced over at Kate again with a shy smile gracing his lips.

Martha and Jim sat back in silence as Alexis continued the interrogation, already asking all the questions they had, "So what is going to happen after this? Are you moving in together? Getting the thing annulled?"

"Kate is going to move in at some point, maybe not immediately, but she will be at the loft quite a bit until then."

Kate grabbed the girl's hand, "Alexis, I know we sprung this on you quite unexpectedly, but I love your dad more than anything in the world. Please know that I will never intentionally hurt him. This is not some temporary fling. I am in this with him forever."

Alexis sighed. "It's not like I can do anything about it now. I guess I need to let this sink in. I just wish I had been there."

"I wish you were too, Pumpkin. How about sometime soon, we have a small ceremony?"

Alexis smiled.

"Dad, what do you think of all this?" Kate asked.

Jim inhaled deeply, "You always had to do your own thing, Katie, so I'm actually not very surprised by this. I had a feeling someday this would happen with you two considering how much you went on and on about him when we would get together."

Kate blushed. "Don't stroke his ego, Dad."

Castle smirked smugly and squeezed her hand.

"Does this mean Jim and I will get some little Castles out of the two of you?" Martha grinned, while wiggling her fingers in mid air with excitement.

"Mother, we haven't really discussed that, so we'll see." Castle cautioned before quickly changing the subject. "How about we order something?"

**Tumblr: MonaLyssa33  
****Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Short chapter because I didn't have a better place to stop.**

The piercing ring of Kate's phone woke Castle up around five the following morning. Grunting in frustration, he nudged Kate to wake up. She stirred a little, but didn't fully wake up. "Kate, answer your phone." he growled sleepily.

She reached for the night stand now designated as hers and felt around until she found the ringing disturbance. "Beckett." She mumbled into the receiver. "Thanks Espo, text me the address and I'll let Castle know." She rolled over to lie partially on top of her husband. "Babe, there's a body." With her eyes still closed she kissed his right pectoral while rubbing her hand against the pulse point on his neck. "We have to get up. Do you want the shower first?"

"Mmmm, why can't we stay here all day?" He tightened his arm around her.

"Because I have a job that needs me." She muttered into his skin.

"Quit your job and stay home with me every day."

Kate's eyes finally popped open. "I am not letting you become my sugar daddy. Just because you are rich does not mean I am suddenly a trophy wife."

Castle huffed, "Okay let's get up then. You take the shower while I make us some coffee."

After Kate had showered, Castle handed off a to-go cup of coffee and said, "I suppose since we aren't telling anyone about our little impromptu wedding or the fact that we are together until we can figure out how to keep our partnership intact, we should probably not carpool together. I'll meet you at the scene later. I love you." He gave her a quick peck.

"Love you too. See you in a bit. Oh and don't forget to hide your ring." Kate called as she left the loft.

Arriving at the crime scene located at an open plaza, Kate approached Esposito and Lanie who were standing near the body as it was loaded onto a gurney for transport.

"What do we have, Lane?" Kate asked looking over the victim's body.

"Vic is Mandy Michaels. She was the weather girl for WHNY." Lanie announced.

"Mandy Michaels? Really?" Castle responded from behind Kate after rushing up to them from the cab he took. "I watched her every night. She always had the best…" he hesitantly looked over to Kate who in turn gave him a look of warning, "…forecasts." Kate indignantly glared at him. "What? Look, as a _single_ man, I appreciated her assets." Kate rolled her eyes and walked over to Lanie.

"Are you doing something different?" Lanie asked, eyeing Kate up and down.

"No. Why?"

"I don't know. Something's changed with you."

Kate's heart quickened in panic, but managed to keep her reaction indifferent. She shrugged her shoulders and hummed noncommittally.

* * *

After visiting the precinct, Kate and Castle made their way to the morgue to get more information from Lanie. When they entered the autopsy room Lanie announced that their suspicions of the murder being the result of a mugging were false.

"Someone's trying to cover their tracks. Speaking of which, I figured out what's different." Lanie waggles her finger at Kate accusatorily. "You're having sex."

Taken aback, Kate swallows hard and glances at her husband in shock. Their secret was out. "Excuse me?" she finally choked out.

"Don't try to deny it. There's a glow. I know that glow. So who's the guy?" Lanie asked. "I bet it was that guy you were chatting and dancing with at the wedding!"

Realizing they hadn't been found out, Kate knew she had to lie to keep things under wraps. "Um, no it's not him. You don't know him."

"Should I kick Castle out so you can tell me who this mystery man is?" Lanie pushed.

"There's nothing to tell, Lane. Is that all you had for us?"

"I'm going to get it out of you Katherine Beckett, so help me." Lanie vowed.

"Well if that's all you have for us, I'll talk to you later, and not about my love life." Kate called as she exited the room with Castle following closely behind.

**Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**  
**Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Forgive me as I go cliche.**

Two months following the Mandy Michaels case that was solved within a few days, Kate had moved a majority of her belongings to the loft. She intended on keeping her apartment, at least for the time being, since she couldn't change her address at work without someone's suspicions being raised. Lanie continued to pester Kate about this mystery man who seemed to have made her a different woman. She and Castle struggled daily with their attraction in the workplace. They both caught each other staring at the other at random points throughout the day. They tried containing their lustful gazes to when they were alone, but even finding alone time was tricky. At least they still had their time together at home.

The current case that her team was working on involved the murder of a young mother with two children. Kate felt unusually affected by the case from the perspective of the children and also the perspective of the husband. She knew how it felt to lose her mother and she had been working hard to move on from the pain of that, but when she married Castle, the idea of losing him terrified her. She didn't want to even think about something happening to him because she knew if something ever did, it would destroy her. As hard as she tried, she couldn't stop herself from locking herself in their en suite that night and crying as she took a bath.

After the difficult night, Kate and Castle were back at the precinct working diligently again the next morning. Kate sat at her desk looking over the files of those present at the bombing. Her eyes began to droop and soon she had her head resting atop her arms on the desk and she was asleep.

Kate heard a muffled voice calling her name and a warm hand rubbing back and forth over her shoulder blades. She blinked her eyes quickly trying to recover from her little nap and was greeted by her husband's concerned face.

"Are you okay, Kate? You seem awfully tired."

"M'fine." She mumbled wiping the sleep from her eyes. "I just need some caffeine."

"I made you a latte." Castle pushed the warm mug of coffee in front of her.

"Oh my God, Castle! What did you add to it?" Kate exclaimed, pushing the offending liquid away.

"I added what you normally have. You didn't even try it."

"The smell is too strong; just take it away for now. I'll figure something out to stay awake." Kate insisted, jumping up from the chair intending to get away from the overpowering smells. "Castle, I'm going to head down to the morgue, so just help out the boys for a bit."

* * *

Kate pushed her way into the morgue feeling exhausted. She was greeted by the sight of Lanie hovering over a microscope.

"Hey Lanie. Do you have anything new for me?"

Lanie turned in her chair expecting to see the driven and strong Kate Beckett standing before her but the woman in front of her looked beaten down and worn out. "Kate, what's wrong?"

"I'm fine. The case is just getting the better of me. I just need to get through this and solve it."

"Well Castle called before you got here and told me to see if there is anything physically wrong with you. He sounded concerned."

"Castle's overreacting. I just need to get some caffeine in me." Kate protested.

"Why don't I take some of your blood and run a few tests just to appease him then. I will stop nagging you after that."

"Fine." Kate conceded, slumping into a nearby chair.

While Lanie began to draw Kate's blood, she asked, "So why did you call before you arrived to ask if the morgue smelled potent?"

"Oh it's nothing. I think I'm catching a stomach bug or something and strong smells are bothering me."

Lanie bandaged up Kate's arm from the blood draw and said, "I'll have an intern work on these right away. The results should be ready in about twenty minutes if you want to wait here. I can give you the rundown of what I've found so far in the mean time."

Lanie was informing Kate of what she discovered from the autopsy she had performed when one of the interns brought in Kate's test results. Lanie looked them over and hummed to herself.

"What is it? Is it something bad?" Kate asked.

"It is exactly what I was expecting. Kate you are pregnant. At least twelve weeks along according to these hCG levels."

"I'm sorry, what? I can't be pregnant, I'm on the pill." Kate refuted as she sank back into a nearby chair.

"You should know as a 32 year old woman that birth control is not 100% effective."

"Did you say twelve weeks along? That's impossible. I wasn't having sex twelve weeks ago."

"When was your last period?"

"Umm…Wow, when was my last period? I can't believe I didn't notice. I think my last period was around mid-January."

"That was about eight weeks ago. With these hCG levels you could be having multiples." Lanie stated hesitantly as she stood in front of Kate, putting her hand on her wrist as a small gesture of support.

"More than one?!" Kate squeaked, her eyes the size of saucers.

"What are you going to do?"

"I guess I'm going to have to talk to the father and we'll figure out what we are going to do." Kate said, staring blankly in front of her at nothing in particular.

"What is Castle going to think about this?" Lanie pressed hesitantly.

Kate startled out of her stupor believing Lanie knew the truth. "What do you mean?'

"Come on, Kate. It is so obvious that man is hopelessly in love with you. Now you are pregnant with another man's child and possibly children. He's bound to be heartbroken."

Kate suppressed the smile that was attempting to force its way on her face. "I'm sure he'll be fine. I wouldn't worry about Castle. I hear he is with someone himself anyway." Kate fibbed. "Um, I should go back to the precinct and try to finish up this case." Kate stood and headed for the exit.

"Kate, I will support you in any decision you make."

"Thanks Lanie. I'll let you know what happens."

* * *

A dazed Kate entered the precinct oblivious to her surroundings until she approached her desk. Castle sat in his designated chair looking over files that Espo and Ryan handed him. He looked up when Kate came into his line of sight.

"Hey, how are you doing? You look…different." Castle observed.

"Can I talk to you, somewhere private?" Kate requested.

"Yeah, yeah of course." Rick set the file on Kate's desk, stood up and followed Kate as she led him to a secluded hallway of the precinct. Kate looked around suspiciously and when she was sure no one was looking, she dragged Castle into a nearby supply closet. "What's going on, Kate?" Castle asked in bewilderment.

"I was just down at the morgue and Lanie ran some tests on me because she didn't think I looked right and also because you insisted. Well the blood results showed that I, um…they showed that I'm…" Kate hesitated, meeting her husband's encouraging eyes. "Rick, I'm pregnant. Possibly with more than one baby."

"What? How is this possible? We were so careful." Castle's stunned tone made Kate nervous. "And more than one?"

"Well not everything is 100% effective, Babe. The blood test could be wrong about the multiples though. So what do you think about this?" Kate bit her lip uneasily.

"I'm surprised, but if you're happy about this then so am I. I don't want to pressure you into this if you don't want it, but having a baby with you would be a dream come true for me."

Kate's face glowed with euphoria. "I'm scared, but I'm also ecstatic, is that weird? It's a little soon and we really haven't discussed it yet, but I really want this with you."

Castle mimicked her joyous response before pulling her in for a heated lip-lock. "I love you." He whispered between fleeting breaks in their embrace.

Kate felt a tear escape and slip down her cheek as she kissed Castle. Pulling apart she wiped away the moisture. "I've never been happier than I have been as your wife." She rested her forehead against his. "Thank you, Rick."

"What are we going to do now? It's going to be pretty obvious soon enough that you are pregnant."

"Let's first make an OB appointment and we'll sort everything out after that." Kate reasoned. "We should get out of here before people start wondering where we are. Wait until I'm gone for a few seconds then you can leave." She smiled, quickly pecked him on the lips and hastily whispered "I love you" as she rushed out of the closet.

Castle stood in the small room for longer than a few seconds, in awe of how his life had changed so drastically in just a matter of a few months. He never would have thought that he'd not only be married to Kate Beckett, but they were expecting a baby together. He could not have been more content about his life.

* * *

Within days of finding out, Kate and Castle had an appointment to confirm via ultrasound that they were indeed pregnant. So that no one at the precinct would get suspicious about the couple leaving at the same time, Castle didn't go in with Kate, intending to meet her at the doctor's office. As Castle rode the elevator to the OB's office, he thought about how this pregnancy was going to be so much different than it had been with Meredith. Meredith rarely allowed him to attend her appointments so Kate's pregnancy was basically his first experience with everything. Castle found himself in front of the understated office door labeled "Dr. Julie Farr and Associates" and paused before entering. Looking around the waiting room, there were three women at various stages of pregnancy and then his wife sitting off to the side, fidgeting with the straps of her purse as she looked back at reception. Castle smiled endearingly at the sight, and then approached her.

Kate turned to find her husband taking a seat next to her and she smiled up at him, a look of relief spreading across her face. "I was getting worried you weren't going to make it."

Castle took her hand, "Do you honestly believe that I would not have moved heaven and Earth to be here with you? We are in this together. I'm not going anywhere." He leaned into her as their foreheads touched.

"I love you, Rick." She gave his hand a quick squeeze.

"Katherine?" a nurse called.

Kate stood quickly, tugging on Castle's arm to get him to follow. The nurse led the Castles to an examination room, then began taking Kate's vitals and asked the couple a list of preliminary questions. Afterwards the nurse told them that the doctor would be in within minutes.

Just as promised, Dr. Farr knocked on the door a few minutes later. "Hello, Kate. It's good to see you again. This must be…?"

"This is my husband Rick." Kate introduced.

Castle shook the doctor's hand. "I don't recall you being married at your annual, so this must be fairly new." Dr. Farr stated.

"We've been married a little over two months. We kind of eloped and really only our families know." Kate admitted.

"So this pregnancy was not planned?"

"No. It was very unexpected, but we both are excited about it." Kate grasped Castle's hand again. "My friend is a medical examiner and ran some blood work on me and she believes that I'm carrying multiples."

"Well how about we have a look then?" Dr. Farr said, rolling the ultrasound machine closer. "I will have you lie back and lift your shirt and I'll squeeze some of the gel on your abdomen."

Kate followed her instructions and watched as the doctor pressed the transducer to her belly and moved it around.

"It appears your friend was correct."

"We're having multiples?" Kate asked.

"See here," Dr. Farr pointed to the monitor, "here is one baby and here is another and here is one more."

Kate's heart stuttered and her breathing became shallow as she looked from the ultrasound to the doctor, "triplets?"

"You are indeed having triplets. Congratulations you two!" Dr. Farr grinned at the pair.

Kate looked up to her husband standing over her. He looked pale and shocked himself. Kate felt tears welling up in her eyes and she wiped them away before reaching out for Castle. "Babe, what do you think?"

Castle met her eyes, "Three babies, Kate. Three. I am flabbergasted to put it lightly, but I am absolutely thrilled!" He smiled through his own tears before leaning over to kiss Kate. "I love you so much," he whispered.

"Did you want some pictures printed off and if so how many?" Dr. Farr asked, breaking up their moment.

Collecting herself Kate responded, "I think five will be good for now."

"How is this possible? Neither of us have a history of multiples in our family." Castle asked.

"Considering you guys were surprised by this pregnancy, I think I can safely assume you were not using fertility treatments. Triplets conceived naturally aren't very common, but as a woman ages her ovaries are more likely to release multiple eggs, which can in turn result in multiple embryos."

"Well thank God we are rich! I could not imagine trying to support three infants in this city on a middle-class salary. I could barely do it with Alexis seventeen years ago."

"Based on what you told me when your last period was and an estimated guess based on the ultrasound, I'd say you are about eight weeks along. Since this is a multiple pregnancy, you are now considered high risk. I will have my nurse give you some information on what your next steps should be and I recommend you start taking prenatal vitamins as soon as possible."

Leaving the doctor's office, Kate and Castle were still stunned at the news. Kate had to go back to work, but all she wanted to do was head home and celebrate. Somehow Castle managed to convince her to play hooky and a short time later the giddy couple burst through the front door of the loft as they practically mauled each other with celebratory desire.

While Castle had himself wrapped around Kate after their passionate love making, the shrill sound of her phone rang throughout the bedroom. Reaching for it, she saw that it was Lanie. Having performed the blood test, Lanie knew of Kate's OB appointment and was anxious to hear the news. "Beckett." Kate mumbled groggily.

"Kate, are you going to dish on the news? Are you having twins?" Lanie asked expectantly.

Kate chuckled feeling her husband's sleepy hum into the back of her neck yet not awaken. "Umm not exactly. I'm actually having triplets."

"Holy mother of… what does your beau think? I can imagine this is really big news for you two, especially since you haven't dated that long."

"We are both ecstatic about it to be honest. It is early in the relationship no doubt, but we are both so happy. Lanie I am so happy."

"I am delighted for you, Kate. I just never would have thought you'd find happiness with someone who wasn't Castle. How are you going to tell him?"

"Lanie, I would not worry about Castle." At the sound of his name, Castle murmured into Kate's shoulder. "Look I have to go, my 'baby daddy' and I are going to _celebrate_ some more." Kate's response was laced with innuendo.

After hanging up, Castle stirred awake beside her, humming contently as he pulled Kate closer to him while rubbing his hand over her starting-to-show bump. "Wow, I can definitely feel a change in your stomach now. Meredith didn't show until at least the second trimester, but she also only had one baby."

Kate turned in his arms to face him. "What are we going to tell our family? I thought telling them that we eloped was shocking enough for them, but to tell them two months later that we are pregnant and with triplets…not that my dad isn't healthy, I wouldn't be surprised if we gave him a heart attack."

"I'll have 9-1-1 on speed dial just in case." Castle smirked which in turn made Kate smile back. "I also have an idea on how to break the news."

**Tumblr: MonaLyssa33  
Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	6. Chapter 6

Castle put together all of the necessary details for their surprise reveal. On Kate's day off, the couple headed out to a nearby baby boutique to pick out three pairs of baby booties. Castle had been scoping the store out and knew even before taking Kate there that they sold baby items to appease the geekiest of parents. Castle entered the store on a mission, but wanted his proposition to be subtle. He followed his wife around the store, casually looking over the selection.

"You know that six word story that people credit Hemingway for but no one knows for sure who wrote it?" Castle asked.

"The baby shoes one?" Kate looked up from a display of baby items.

"Yeah. We should come up with our own six word story."

"What did you have in mind?"

Castle hummed to himself as he thought through some possibilities. "Here's one. 'Three babies. We are in trouble.'"

Kate scoffed and shook her head. "I love you, but you're ridiculous."

"I see what you did there." Castle called out to his retreating wife. She turned her head and coyly smirked.

While Kate browsed the selection, Castle homed in on the items he desired, three pairs of superhero baby shoes.

"Hey Kate, what do you think about these?" He called out to his wife.

Kate placed the frilly, floral-patterned dress back where she found it and approached her husband. "What did you find, Babe?"

"Are these not perfect?" Castle held up the shoes, a Batman set, a Spiderman set and a Superman set.

Kate quirked her brow at him, "Really Castle?"

"I think it is perfect. We don't know what we are having and superheroes aren't just for boys, you know."

"I'm not concerned about gender stereotypes. I was just hoping for something more baby-ish, I guess, like monkeys or elephants or something."

"The shoes are tiny, isn't that baby enough?" Castle looked hopefully at his wife.

"Fine. We'll get these, but don't think I didn't know that you purposely brought me here for those shoes." Castle's face turned to surprise. "Rick, we are married and I am also a detective. You can't honestly believe that I don't already know every little scheme of yours?" Kate bit back a smile as she turned toward the register.

After purchasing the shoes, Kate and Castle headed back to the loft. Alexis and Martha were at their respective schools, so it gave the couple a chance to set up. Kate pulled out her favorite pair of Manolos from her closet then grabbed a pair of Castle's dress shoes.

"Which of these is more Alexis do you think?" Castle asked as he walked into their bedroom. He held up a pair of ivory, peep-toe kitten heels and a pair of plum-colored flats.

"I'd go with the flats." Kate said as she headed into the office where the superhero shoes laid in waiting. Kate placed their shoes to the left of the babies' shoes and Castle handed her Alexis's shoes to put next to Kate's. The shoes of the soon-to-be family of six laid in a row against the bookshelves.

"You ready to take the picture?" Kate asked, standing from where she was kneeling to look at Castle.

"Of course." Castle smiled and then lined up the shot before snapping a few photos.

That evening Martha, Alexis and Jim sat across the table from Rick and Kate. While the family had gotten together for dinner a few times since the elopement, the palpable excitement of the married couple left their family suspicious. As everyone finished up their chocolate mousse, Castle clutched Kate's hand and gave it a squeeze, signaling the time had come. He stood from his chair and grabbed the short stack of envelopes that held their surprise.

"Kate and I decided to give the three of you something." Castle handed each person their gift. "Go ahead and open them." He instructed as he took a seat next to Kate again as they both attempted to suppress their grins.

The family tore open the letters and each pulled out the photograph that was taken earlier that day. Alexis was the first to react. Her eyes widened in surprise but her face gave no indication of how she felt about the news. "What does this mean, Dad?"

"Pumpkin, Kate and I found out a couple of days ago that she is pregnant."

Kate averted her gaze to her mother-in-law and father who were both silent. Jim brought his fingers to his mouth and Kate noticed he was tearing up. Martha was having a similar reaction.

"Why are there three pairs of shoes?" Alexis asked.

"Because there are three babies. We're having triplets." Castle responded somewhat hesitantly, waiting for his daughter to freak out.

"I'm going to be a big sister." Alexis stated in monotone, then as though it finally hit her, her voice raised with excitement as she repeated herself. She jumped from her seat and rushed around the table to hug her father and stepmother. "I'm so happy for you guys! I've always wanted to have siblings!"

Kate looked back at her dad and asked, "What do you think, Dad?"

"Katie, I couldn't be more proud of you. You are going to be a wonderful mother." Jim reached across the table and took his daughter's hand in his. "These three are going to be the luckiest kids in the entire world and I'm going to spoil them rotten."

Kate chuckled. "I wouldn't expect anything less of you."

**Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**  
**Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter has minor angst, but it is all good in the end.**

Still having not told any of their friends of their marriage despite it being over three months later or revealing that Kate was pregnant, Espo and Ryan were suspecting something was changing with Kate. Being thirteen weeks pregnant, Kate was quickly losing the ability to hide her expanding belly with loose shirts. She told Captain Gates that she was pregnant, but requested to not have it revealed for a few more weeks. Gates probably suspected who the father was, but didn't say anything. The boys wondered why Kate was on desk duty, but she told them it was doctor's orders regarding her shooting.

While Kate was in the restroom again, Castle sat beside her desk playing with his phone. Seeing an opportunity, Espo and Ryan approached Castle with purpose.

"Hey Castle, does Beckett seem different to you?" Espo asked.

Castle looked up feigning innocence. "What are you talking about?"

"She seems different and dare I say…bigger." Ryan hesitantly said. "Do you know if she is pregnant?"

"Why are you asking me? Why don't you ask her yourself? Are you afraid of her?"

"What?! No!" Espo quickly said in disbelief. "We are not afraid of Beckett."  
"Why would you be afraid of me?" Kate asked having returned from the bathroom.

Espo and Ryan spun around to face Kate who had her hands on her hips and an expectant look on her face. Stammering uncomfortably like fools, Kate couldn't hide her amusement as she brought her hand to her lips to stifle her laughing.

"You want to know if I'm pregnant, don't you?"

Ryan and Espo glanced at each other and then nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I am pregnant. Triplets if you can believe it." Kate admitted.

Espo and Ryan's jaws dropped in shock. Espo composed himself and said, "You are pregnant. We still haven't met your boyfriend and you are telling us this mystery man has knocked you up?"

"Women have been getting pregnant for millenniums and you are surprised because I, being a woman, have gotten pregnant?"

"Maybe they are just surprised at how fast your relationship is progressing?" Castle piped up, trying to keep up the illusion that they weren't together.

"You guys have nothing to worry about. I love him and he is going to be an amazing father to these three." Kate replied shyly, taking a quick look at her husband who beamed with delight unknown to the boys.

"We are happy for you, chica! You'll have to bring your guy in so we can meet him, maybe threaten him if necessary." Espo said.

"Thanks, Espo." Kate rolled her eyes.

* * *

Later that day Kate found herself standing in front of the murder board, hoping inspiration would strike and she could figure out the case. Castle reluctantly was following a lead with the boys. He didn't want to leave Kate behind, but she insisted saying a little time apart would allow her to concentrate since her pregnancy hormones in addition to her constant desire for him left her feeling scatterbrained.

Kate found herself poring over files at her desk about an hour later when her cell phone rang. "Hey Espo, did you find anything?" Kate greeted.

"Kate," Espo began solemnly making Kate's heart race with fear not simply because he had used her first name, "Castle's been shot. We're at Presbyterian now."

Kate's heart sank in her chest and she became shaken to the point of immobility. Hanging up without saying a word, she finally jumped from her chair, trying to hold back the flood of tears as she raced to the elevator and then to her cruiser. Flicking the sirens on, she drove frantically to the hospital only caring about her husband. Illegally parking as close to the entrance as she could get, she ran into the emergency room anxiously surveying the area for Espo and Ryan. She rushed to the reception desk and struggled to get out the words needed to direct her to Castle.

"Beckett!" Esposito called out from down the hall making Kate whip her head in his direction.

Kate charged for him instantly. "Javi, where is he? Is he okay?" Her voice cracked with emotion.

"He's in surgery. We are still waiting to get an update, but the nurse said it wouldn't be very long."

Kate started to pace in front of Esposito while running her hand through her hair, then asked, "Where was he shot?"

"He was shot in the gut. He was still conscious when they wheeled him back there."

"Javi! Oh good you're here too, Beckett. The nurse has an update for us." Ryan called from the doorway of a waiting room.

Kate pushed past Esposito and followed Ryan. She approached the woman in surgical scrubs and asked nervously, "You have information about my husband?"

Both Ryan and Espo did a double take at Kate's admission, but let it slide for the time being.

"Mr. Castle is in surgery right now. The bullet appears to have punctured his colon but will not require a colostomy. The surgeon wants to ensure there isn't any surrounding damage before stitching him up, but Mr. Castle should be getting out of surgery relatively soon."

"When can I see him?" Kate asked.

"I can bring back family members as soon as he is settled in recovery."

"Thank you." Kate said, as she wiped away a few tears, before retreating to a nearby chair. She slumped over, with her elbows on her knees and her face buried in her hands. She could no longer hold in the sobs that had wanted to break through since she found out.

Ryan and Espo silently watched in shock as their surrogate sister broke down. Ryan finally came to his senses and took a seat next to Kate attempting to soothe her by rubbing her back. Kate lifted her head and met Ryan's eyes.

"We're here for you, Kate. Anything you need, just ask." Ryan said.

"Has anyone called Martha or Alexis? They are in the Hamptons for Alexis's spring break." Kate sniffled, looking up to Espo.

"Ryan called while I was on the phone with you." Espo assured. "They are on their way."

"I don't know what I would do without you two." Kate admitted. "I love him so much it scares me. I can't lose him."

"Kate he's going to be fine. He's coming out of surgery soon." Espo said, holding out a box of tissues from a nearby table.

"I bet you guys are shocked to find out Castle and I are married." Kate chuckled sadly as she pulled the chain that held her wedding rings and her mother's ring from beneath her blouse. She slipped off her rings and placed them on her finger.

"When did you guys get married?" Ryan asked.

Kate sighed deeply. "The same day you did actually. We left the reception and went to City Hall. It was the most spontaneous thing I have ever done, especially since we weren't even dating at the time, but I have never been happier than when I am with him. We didn't want to tell anyone right away because we were afraid Gates was going to kick him out of the precinct, but when it comes right down to it, I don't even care about that anymore. I just need him to be okay."

* * *

Almost half an hour later, Kate heard "Mrs. Castle?" as the nurse from before approached the trio. "Your husband is settled in recovery if you would like to come with me."

Kate looked from Ryan to Espo as though she needed them to give her the courage to go with the nurse. "I'll let you know how he is doing soon, guys. Thank you so much for being here with me." She finally stood after giving each of them a quick hug.

The nurse led Kate through a maze of hallways finally ending up in front of room 411. Taking a deep breath, Kate pushed open the door and found her husband lying in a bed, hooked up to numerous machines. She felt the tears start to well up again, but she held them back until the nurse left. She took a seat by his bedside and gripped his hand between hers. She brought her lips to his fingers and kissed them as she allowed herself to cry again.

"Rick, I love you so much. I need you to be okay. Not just for me, but for Alexis, your mother and these three." She placed a hand on her protruding belly. "Oh my god, don't ever die. I have so much more to tell you, and I'm not interested in telling it to anyone else." She started confessing. "I lived twenty nine years before you came into my life, but now that I have you, I don't know if I can live without you. You'd say to me, 'Kate, you can do anything because you are extraordinary.' And so I am, because I am nothing more or less than what I see in your eyes when you look at me. After my mom died, I had pretty much given up on the idea that I'd ever find someone who would love me so unconditionally. A tiny, hidden part of me still held on to the idea that I could find it, but I started believing I was just being too picky. Then one evening I walked into your book launch party and I stood behind you, not realizing that the man in the suit coat with the visible stubble would become my savior, my reason to breathe. I don't think you know how close I was to becoming a bitter, closed-off woman until I met you. You have given me everything; a life I never thought I deserved. It's a miracle to me. You are a miracle. You've made me happy, which is something I never, ever thought I'd be. I love you, Babe." Kate kissed his hand again, before she rested her head against her arms on his bed. Before long, she found herself drifting off.

* * *

In the haze of her dream, Kate felt a familiar warmth caressing her cheek. Her eyelids fluttered open and met the tender gaze of her husband's blue eyes. He smiled and whispered her name.

Kate sat up quickly, "Oh Rick, you have no idea how terrified I was." She cradled his chin in her palms leaning in closer to him. "I'm so grateful that you are okay." She kissed him all over his face, finally landing on his lips. "I don't know what I would have done if the outcome had been different."

"I'd hope that you would name one of the babies after me." He smirked teasingly.

She glared at him, not remotely amused by his humor. "You are lucky you just got out of surgery because I should kick your ass for that comment."

"I love you too, Kate."

**A/N: This is the last official chapter. There is an epilogue to come though. Also the little monologue Kate said in this chapter is based off a monologue from the show Mad About You.**

**Tumblr: MonaLyssa33  
Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	8. Epilogue

Following a few weeks of recovery, Castle returned to the precinct with Kate even though their marriage had been common knowledge among everyone, including Captain Gates. After a week of the silent treatment from Lanie because she ended up being one of the last to find out about the wedding, she finally came around when Kate invited her to an ultrasound appointment to take a look at her niece and nephews.

When Kate reached her twenty-ninth week of pregnancy, her OB told her she needed to go on bed rest because her blood pressure readings were high and they all wanted to keep the two boys and one girl in the womb for as long as they possibly could. Following a few weeks of bed rest, Kate started experiencing contractions and the doctor's attempts to stop them did not work. With Castle by her side, Kate had an emergency Cesarean section and their three babies were born. Kate was able to see each of her children very briefly before the triplets were placed in the NICU.

A couple of days later, Kate was finally allowed to hold her babies. Castle had been running between her room and the NICU giving her updates and showing her pictures as she healed from her C-section. The pictures of her children paled in comparison to actually being able to hold them. Their firstborn son, Milo James, named after Kate's father, was the biggest and strongest of the three. The youngest, Declan Rodgers, named for his paternal grandmother's last name, was slightly smaller than his older brother. The tiniest of the three was their little girl, Eva Vivian, whose middle name was the same as Kate's mother.

As Kate sat in one of the rocking chairs in the NICU holding their boys, her husband beside her in another chair holding their girl, she thought about the last time she was in the same hospital. Nearly fifteen months since her shooting, one of the lowest points in her life, she was now a wife and a mother of three and she had never been happier all because she risked giving her heart completely to the man who always had her back.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this adventure with me. I know I do write ****_a lot_**** about pregnancy and family stuff, but hey, I guess I have a style now. The reason I chose the name Eva Vivian for their daughter is because my great grandma's name was Eva Vivian and I really love the name. I was considering making them have two girls and one boy so I could use my other great grandma's name which is Esther Josephine (another name I love), but most people don't love the name Esther like I do. Also the reason I decided for them to have triplets was mainly because I'm insanely obsessed with names. I have a few one-shots left to write for my fic The Exes and then I hope to start a new fic, as a challenge to myself, that does not involve pregnancy, but that won't be until at least next week since I have a big school project due today and I need to focus a lot on that.**

**Tumblr: MonaLyssa33  
Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


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